The present invention generally relates to mechanisms for adjusting the aiming of a headlamp assembly in automobiles and the like. The invention more specifically relates to a novel adjustor mechanism that can be snapped into a stationary component of the headlamp assembly, and employed to control the position of a relatively movable component, such as the reflector or the entire headlamp housing.
Following assembly of an automobile, the headlamps must be set to their desired position. This is generally accomplished by use of sophisticated photometric metering equipment and manually adjusting the headlamps until the headlamps point in the desired location. Adjustment is usually accomplished by using an adjustor mechanism of the general type-and kind to which the present invention relates.
Also, due to vibration or an accident, the headlamps may move out of the desired aiming location. With certain prior art adjustor mechanisms, there is no way to attain the desired initial position or alignment without use of specialized equipment. With the present invention, the initial or "zero" position of the movable headlamp component is indicated and the operator need only adjust the position of the headlamp by using the adjustor mechanism to move the headlamp back to its initial or "zero" position.
Adjustor mechanisms for adjusting the aiming of a headlamp to a desired location are well-known in the art. Examples of an existing prior art adjustor mechanisms can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,121,303; 5,067,052; 5,032,964; 4,674,018; 4,893,219 and 4,939,945, and generally uses an adjusting screw or a gear box that consists of a pair of gears, a housing, caps, bushing, washer, and adjusting screws or shafts. These mechanisms require several assembly steps and several ultrasonic welding operations which increase the cost of the mechanism.
The present invention comprises an adjusting mechanism for adjusting the aiming of a headlamp assembly in automobiles and the like that has fewer parts and requires fewer steps to assemble. The adjustor mechanism generally includes a bushing that is encircled by a gear and an adjustor screw that is journaled through the bushing. The adjustor mechanism is snapped into a stationary component of the headlamp assembly and the aiming of the headlamp is manually adjusted by using a drive tool. In a preferred embodiment, a series of indicator lines on the adjustor mechanism allow the "zero" or initial position to be indicated and the user to adjust the aim of the headlamp assembly back to the desired position, if the headlamp assembly becomes misaligned for any reason.